Public confidence in Hong Kong' s future continues to improve, according to the latest opinion poll conducted by the Home Affairs Bureau (HAB) released Wednesday.
The survey found that 73 percent of the respondents expected the situation to get better or stay the same in the coming twelve months. This represents a considerable increase of 14 percentage points as compared to the corresponding figure of 59 percent in January.
The overall public sentiment in Hong Kong has also become more positive and public satisfaction with the overall performance of the government has also gone up by five percentage points from January to March. Sixty-three percent of the respondents considered that the government had taken into account public opinions when deciding on policies and actions.
Commenting on the findings, a HAB spokesman said, "We are pleased to note that the general public has become more optimistic about the present situation in Hong Kong and the future."
Financial Secretary Antony Leung set out in his budget directions to strengthen Hong Kong's competitiveness by capitalizing on Hong Kong's strengths and developing high-value- added economic activities, the spokesman said.
"The package of economic relief measures to help the community were also well received by the public," he added.
(Xinhua News Agency March 28, 2002)
